Chapter 438
"It is said that a country once existed here in ancient times, but that country later perished."
Kakuzu replied in a muffled voice.
"Let's go see what happened."
As the two continued to delve deeper into the subject...
Soon, they arrived at an ancient castle.
In the center of the ancient castle.
The projections of the Akatsuki Organization members were prominently displayed.
Even the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was there.
Naturally, the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, and Six-Tails were also placed here.
"You've arrived, Kakuzu and Hidan," Pain said, glancing at the two.
What's going on?
Kakuzu glared at the mysterious figure with hostility.
It looked like a small child, with a restrictive outer robe covering a body wrapped in bandages.
"Let me introduce you. This is our newest member, named Hiruko. He's Orochimaru's classmate... and those three are his subordinates..."
Pain revealed information about Hiruko.
After Kakuzu and Hidan "killed" Asuma, they retreated.
I originally thought I would be involved in sealing the Tailed Beast.
Unexpectedly, the leader changed the plan at the last minute, sending the two of them to the Golden Wheel Mountain Range on the border of the Land of Earth.
"Hello, I am Hiruko."
Hiruko maintained the Hand Seals while standing atop the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
The last wisp of chakra was extracted from the body of the Six-Tails, Utakata.
With Utakata falling, the sealing of the Six-Tails was completed.
Clearly, Hiruko participated in the sealing ceremony of the Tailed Beast.
"Hehe..."
Orochihime smiled slightly.
Hiruko's joining was not solely due to her recommendation.
"Ban," Tobi was present at the time, also had the same idea and invited Hiruko to join.
He even offered Hiruko a pair of Sharingan as a trade.
Hiruko obtained the eyes and joined Xiao.
Acting as a member of Akatsuki.
And it is clear that Pain is also interested in the "perfect immortal body" that Hiruko mentioned.
"So, I'm the senior now~!" Obito, also known as Tobi, said in a funny voice.
"Hmph, Tobi, don't be so smug. In our eyes, you're still a junior!"
Deidara rebuked.
But his words were full of care and concern for his younger brother.
Originally, Obito did not intend to give up on Yagura, the Perfect Jinchuriki.
But after verifying Hiruko's abilities, he decided... to help Hiruko achieve "perfect immortality".
As a result, Karatachi Yagura became a victim and was abandoned by Obito.
Obito understood that he and Pain would eventually break off their relationship.
But not now.
If he hadn't let go of the Three-Tails, Pain's break with him would have happened much sooner.
Now that Hiruko joined, Sasuke is also worth nurturing.
Their own forces grew stronger, while Pain's side grew weaker.
It's obvious that I will be the ultimate winner who defeats Pain and seizes the Rinnegan.
Obito was very certain.
"Next up is the Two-Tails."
They ignored the corpses of Yagura and Utakata on the ground.
Pain said.
Yugito's strength is clearly weaker than Utakata and Yagura's.
Therefore, sealing away two troublesome individuals in advance is only natural.
The weakest of them all, the Two-Tails, can be sealed away last...
Soon.
The Yugito Nii were lifted up by "Illusory Dragon Nine Seals" and flown into the air.
Then, a large amount of Tailed Beast Chakra surged from her body.
Yugito opened his eyes in an instant.
The excruciating pain, which spread throughout her body and felt like her soul was being torn apart, caused her to scream softly.
Anger, hatred, regret... a mix of emotions swirled within me.
But there was nothing he could do but let the enemy extract the Kumogakure Treasure from his body... the Matatabi!
This moment.
The negative thoughts in Yugito's heart had reached their peak.
The dual torment of body and mind caused a large amount of Dark Chakra to grow within her.
At this time, Pain and the others were unaware of this.
The shadowy figure lurked within Yugito's body, silently observing the Akatsuki Organization members' every move.
The Akito emperor himself, due to the changes caused by Hiruko's joining, also intended to come and see for himself...
Hidan Kakuzu, now in their positions, replaced Hiruko and unleashed the "Phantom Dragon Nine Seals".
Having finally Hiruko, Beiruo looked up at the dome.
Through the central circular hole, one can see the sun in the sky.
The five colored glass pieces are actually special gemstone inlays.
"My Chimera Technique alone cannot absorb all Kekkei Genkai, so a special ritual is required..."
"We must gather the three essential elements: heaven, earth, and humanity..."
"The sky is a golden ring of the sun. When the moon blocks the sunlight, outlining the golden ring, the sunlight will possess a special power... At the moment of bathing in that radiance, everyone will become a part of my body..."
"The earth is Mount Sumeru."
"Humans are the power of the Sharingan!"
"After the procedure is completed, a harmonious relationship of the five elements will be formed within my body!"
Hiruko his hands, his eyes filled with longing.
It was only then that Kakuzu and Hidan realized what was happening.
There were also four people at the scene, tied to a frame.
These four individuals possess "Dark Release," "Steel Release," "Storm Release," and "Swift Release," respectively, and are Kekkei Genkai ninjas captured from the Five Great Nations.
On the table in the middle, there was a small bottle.
Inside, a pair of scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan were soaked in chemicals!
"At that time, I will become an immortal, perfect ninja...! Pain..."
Hiruko's gaze swept over Pain, then over Tobi.
"At that time, I will challenge you..."
He said.
Not only will they conquer Akatsuki, but the entire Five Great Nations will be brought under their control!
While Yugito was having his Chakra extracted.
Shikamaru, Choji, Ino also decide to set off to avenge Asuma.
The three of them were to find Kakuzu and Hidan, and then kill those two!
"Shikamaru, I forbid you from moving! I'm sending you to my new team!" Tsunade stood at the entrance, watching the three who were about to leave.
Shikamaru: "Hokage -sama, we've already come up with a strategy..."
Tsunade: "Stop fooling around! Do you want to go and die for nothing?"
Kakashi leaned against the side, silently watching this scene.
The words Kurenai Yuhi had spoken echoed in his mind.
Are we just sending ourselves to our deaths?
If they knew it was a suicide mission, why did they still send Asuma?
Because this is Konoha, this is... the Will of Fire.
"A team of four is enough, right?"
Kakashi spoke.
"Lord Hokage, I'll go with them."
358. Akito Asuka, appearing in matching outfits.
Three days later...
The sealing of the Two-Tails is nearing its end.
"..."
Itachi silently maintained the Hand Seals.
Through Kakuzu and Hidan's previous conversation, he also learned something.
Asuma... was hunted down by them.
This was originally an extremely ordinary thing.
However, considering the previous death of Chiriku, the Fifth Hokage Tsunade's insistence on sending Asuma is quite intriguing.
With Asuma's death, the Sarutobi Clan completely declined.
Tsunade can freely install anyone she trusts into power.
The next Hokage will most likely be Kakashi Hatake.
When Itachi was serving in the Konoha Anbu, he acted as Kakashi's subordinate. Itachi knew very well what kind of person Kakashi was.
The relationship between Tsunade and Kakashi can be seen as a mirror image of that between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze.
If it were the Itachi of the past, he would have thought Asuma's sacrifice was nothing special.
His death was worthwhile for the sake of the village.
However... ever since the massacre of his clan, Itachi, who betrayed the village, has witnessed too much darkness in the ninja world, and as he has grown step by step, his heart has also undergone some changes.
This includes reflecting on one's past actions.
Even now, Itachi has repeatedly believed that massacring his clan was a mistake. If only he could have sat down and talked things out with his father, if only he could have been more patient and waited for his younger brother Sasuke to grow up...